When In Doubt, DISCLOSE!

Selling your home doesn’t have to be a gamble. And the sellers property disclosure can keep you out of hot water.

Did you know the number 1 complaint with the division of real estate is non-disclosure by sellers?

What does this mean in plain English. “We bought a house from Mr and Mrs Seller and they never told us about the roof leak, the cracked foundation, the flood in the basement, fill in the blank.”

So how do sellers avoid this unpleasant situation?

There is this handy form we use in real estate called the Sellers Property Disclosure. This form is your opportunity to air all your homes dirty laundry.

Sometimes I have sellers balk at this form, they feel reluctant to fill it out.

But think of this form as your get out of jail free card.

The save your bacon form.

The keep you out of hot water form.

You can’t hide things from the new buyer!

Just picture this. New buyer moves in and who should saunter over, but Karen from across the street.

“Oh welcome to the neighborhood! I was just saying to my husband that I didn’t think anyone would buy this home with the moldy attic and all.”

Your neighbors know everything! And if something is wrong with your house the buyers are going to find out eventually.

It’s best to be as thorough and accurate as possible with the disclosure. It will protect you in the long run and keep you out of trouble.

Yes, you might have to make some repairs, but I can promise you it will be a lot cheaper than a lawsuit and attorney fees.

When in doubt, DISCLOSE!

Best Offer

First offer is your best offer.

This is a phrase we hear in real estate and what I have found over 20 years is that often times it’s correct.

When I help sellers price their homes I use other homes that have sold to narrow in on pricing.

Buyers are very savvy and with the help of technology they can do their own research to see what other homes like yours have sold for.

If you get an offer on your home right away that means you priced it right.

In this market, if your home has had very few showings and/or no offers you are likely priced too high.

It’s better to get ahead of the market than chase it down with price reductions.

Invest in YOU!

We are all on the stairs, my friend; some of us are going down, some us are going up!” - Mehmet Murat ildan

Did you know that 47% of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing?

It might be time to invest in YOU!

With rates still historically low its worth looking into the pros and cons of homeownership.

No Horsin' Around

Okay no more horsin’ around

If you are in the market to buy a home and you haven’t met with a lender you are doing this all wrong.

Agents won’t show you homes and sellers won’t take you seriously.

Remember, you don’t have to do this alone.

Get a lender recommendation from a real estate agent you trust and make your first step towards homeownership.

Best Foot Forward

Just because we have a lack of inventory doesn’t mean you get to skip the key components for readying your home for sale.

Putting your best foot forward still matters and will be a direct result of a quick sale.

  • Take time to declutter. You are moving anyway so take this time to pack up the items you will not be using or needing in the next couple of months. Clear and clean surfaces matter to buyers.

  • Deep cleaning. No one likes to clean baseboards but now is the time. An unclean house is distracting to buyers and they notice everything.

  • Touch up painting or repainting. Getting rid of scuff marks and dirty walls is a quick and easy way to give your home a nice clean look.

  • Repairs. You know the ones you said you would do when you moved in The loose railing, the missing screen, the broken window pane, now is the time to get those small but important repairs done.

Testimonials

I really love my job. I know lots of people feel that way but for me there are so many gratifying aspects of real estate.
And testimonials like this are what keep me coming back on the hard days.
If we have worked together in the past just know that I value our relationship and your trust in me. I am forever grateful.
With gratitude

No More Monkeying Around

No more monkeying around.

As the market continues to evolve the art of skill and communication becomes paramount.

In 2021 the market was pretty bananas and the pace of the market was extreme. When helping sellers price their homes we could easily pad the value by 10% - 15%. And we were successful.

Buyers were making offers at asking or above and everyone was happy. Appraisers were able to support these increasing values and because the rates were lower then buyers felt good about their purchases, even if they did pay above asking.

This market is evolving but it’s not bad news. Hear me out.

Homes are still selling but pricing is critical. I’ll say it again for for people in back - pricing is critical. No more monkeying around.

Sellers are still getting multiple offers and they are still getting above asking but only if they are priced right.

Gone are the days of padding by $50,000.

So while some sellers might be feeling a market slow down, the ones that listen to the sound advice of their real estate professionals will still be seeing showings and offers.

And for buyers, while rates have gone up please remember that 2.5% was likely a once in a lifetime event. Rates of 5-7% are normal and historically low. Ask anyone who bought a house in the 80’s what their rate was for some perspective. I’ll say it again and agin till I’m blue in the face - the interest rate on rent is 100%

Stay or Go?

Hold or Sell.

Should I stay or should I go.

  1. Here are a couple of things to consider if you are thinking about selling your home.

  2. If you’ve bought your home within the past 12 months you might not have enough equity in your home to end up ahead.

  3. If you’ve not lived in your home for at least 2 years you might be subject to prorated capital gains even if it was your primary home.

  4. If you’ve had a significant life change (divorce or death of a loved one) most experts would say not to make any changes to your living situation for at least 6 months if possible.

  5. If the market is trending downward (not the case in today’s market) and you can stay put it might be a good idea to do so.

If none of the above apply to you and your home no longer fits your needs give me a call, I’d love to help.

Gazillion Dollars

But Zillow says my house is worth a gazillion dollars!

Okay, I’m exaggerating, kind of.

Zillow uses sales data to come up with your “Zestimate” but what they can’t factor in are things like the view, traffic noise, intimate community knowledge, changes in the local work force like a company leaving town or coming to town.

In other words the “Zestimate” is a 50,000 foot view of your homes value.

Having your local agent help you price your home is like looking under a microscope at the value of your home.

Don’t leave these things to chance. Now is not the time to be inaccurate about pricing. Correct pricing is going to dictate whether your home sits on the market or gets multiple-over asking offers.

Real Estater

I was called a “real estater” the other day.

Not Realtor, not real estate agent, a real estater.

And it reminded me that there are still so many people who don’t fully understand what I do. I mean lots of people think all I do is open doors and go out to lunch with my clients!

Whether I am working with a buyer or seller my hope is that I am brining years of experience and connections to the table.

Recommending pre-listing repairs for the biggest bang for your buck.

Connecting you with experts in their fields for pre-purchase inspections.

Coordinating with the title company to resolve unreleased liens.

Brainstorming with the lender when we have an issue on the appraisal.

Inside knowledge on things like well depth/quality or feisty HOA’s.

Negotiating on your behalf when inspections items come up.

Accurate pricing for the maximum return on investment in the shortest amount of time.

Getting you the winning offer when you are competing against many other buyers.

And sometimes being a shoulder to cry on, real estate can put you through the ringer.

With gratitude

My Worst Day In Real Estate

It was my worst day in real estate.

I had made a huge mistake.

This was back in the days of Blackberry phones.I had forwarded (or thought I had forwarded) an exclusion list to some buyers via email.

Well long story short, they never got it and the first time they had a look at the list of things that were not (and supposed to be) included with their new home was at the closing table.

How do you spell disaster.

What transpired next was me renting a small UHaul in a blizzard and driving 6+ hours to retrieve the massive amount missing items.

As I was commiserating with the man at UHaul about my epic mistake he said the following...

“A person will be judged not on the mistakes they make, but on the actions they do to correct the mistake”.

Little did this stranger know but he gave me a spark of hope and reprieve. A verbal life raft in a sea of self loathing.

We are all human, we make mistakes, it comes with the territory. But how you handle and respond to your mistakes reveals ones character.

That day I didn’t blame anyone else for what happened and I know I did everything humanly possible to make up for my mistake.

And now, I copy myself on every email to make double sure.

Tuff Shed Budget

Do you have custom home taste on a Tuff Shed budget?

Well you aren’t alone and here are a couple helpful tips to overcome this pesky situation.

1. Homeownership is a stepping stone process. With each home purchase you will likely be getting more of what you want. Consider readjusting your expectations and recognize you might not yet own your dream home.

2. Lots can be done with cosmetic repairs. That run down home down in your neighborhood might not yet look like a gem but with some elbow grease and money you can turn out a diamond in the rough.

3. Be strategic about buying by watching the market with a trusted real estate agent. Is the market rapidly accelerating? Purchasing a smaller home or condo in a rising market and then quickly selling while the market is still rising can produce quick equity that can allow you to leap frog to your next home sooner than later.

The advice of a trusted and knowledgeable real estate agent is important to maximize these strategies. Reach out with questions.

Second showing are you photo ready?

When someone sees your home it’s really a second showing for them. Say what? Yep, they have already “seen” your home online. They have walked thru all the rooms, admired your decorating style, and marveled at your gardening skills. But what if your photos aren’t “show ready”? What if your kids didn’t pick up their dirty laundry? What if your rooms really need to be painted? And what if your agent used their iPhone to take the photos (gasp)?

Welcome to 2022 - if your agent is not hiring a professional photographer to take your photos then you need to start asking some questions. But you need to do your part too - and I can help you with that.

As a service to all my sellers, I offer home staging and styling for free! My stager extraordinaire will bring accessories and work with what you have. She will guide you on decluttering and cleaning. And as a team, we will ready your home for market with your best foot forward. And don’t forget to tell the kids to pick up their dirty clothes!

Zestimate

But Zillow says my house is worth a gazillion dollars! Okay, I’m exaggerating, kind of.

Zillow uses sales data to come up with your “Zestimate” but what they can’t factor in are things like the view, traffic noise, intimate community knowledge, and changes in the local workforce like a company leaving town or coming to town. In other words, the “Zestimate” is a 50,000-foot view of your home’s value.

Having your local agent help you price your home is like looking under a microscope at the value of your home. Don’t leave these things to chance. Now is not the time to be inaccurate about pricing. Correct pricing is going to dictate whether your home sits on the market or gets multiple-over-asking offers.

CO2 Detectors

Do you have one of these bad boys installed in your home? If you don’t, I BEG you to go to the hardware store TODAY and pick one (or two, or three) up.

As a guideline, Colorado law requires carbon monoxide detectors to be installed within 15 feet of all bedrooms upon the transfer of property. But even if you are not selling your home it’s imperative that you are protected.

Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. It steals oxygen from your red blood cells and can steal the life right out of you. You essentially drown without getting wet. The weather is getting colder and folks are turning on their gas-powered heating, so please don’t take a chance. This is serious stuff. If you read just one of my posts all year, this is the one I want you to really take to heart.

Don’t get caught!

Did you know that some homeowners insurance policies only cover damages to your home within 30 days of you moving out? I found this out the hard way. We had moved out of our house and I was checking on it every other day, BUT on the one day I wasn’t there the dishwasher decided to go kaput! What ensued was the basement filling up with water and doing tons of damage.

I called my insurance company to make a claim and received the bad news; all repairs would be out of pocket! Sucker punch to the gut! So what can you do? If you move out of your primary residence make sure you check with your insurance company to find out what will be covered.

In most cases you can get “vacant home” insurance which is more money than a standard policy but much, much cheaper than dealing with a flooded basement. Please, please, please learn from my mistake and don’t make the same one yourself. BTW - second homes have different insurance policies that typically fall under different guidelines.

Please reach out if you have questions.

PRICING YOUR HOME

How do you know if you priced your home correctly? Well in this market it’s pretty easy to know.

As a general rule of thumb, if your home is not under contract in 3 weeks you have likely overshot the market. You might think, no big deal.

Here’s the thing - the longer your home sits on the market the more buyers begin to believe there is something wrong with your home OR they can lowball you. The goal should be to sell your home not just list it.

THE BUT FACTOR!

The but factor. Not the butt factor, the but factor. This is the thing buyers say when they decide not to buy your house.

I love it BUT, the master bedroom is too small.

I would make an offer BUT my payment will be too high.

I think it could work for me BUT it needs too much work.

Okay, so what’s a seller to do? Time to bring in the WOW factor.

The master bedroom is too small? With correct staging and appropriate furniture, even a small bedroom can be workable. P.S. Home styling and staging are included in my listing package

Payment is too high? Sellers can help buyers buy down their interest rate to make the home more affordable.

House needs too much work? Correct pricing for the condition is critical.